2 comments about Barbaro and Other Inspiring Horses.

1. 
   This book is an inspiring account of not only BARBARO, but other
   great equine champions as well.
   
   Well worth the price & the time to read !!!



2. While I found the Barbaro stories to be very good, Letell missed the mark entirely in his biographies of Triple Crown winners Secretariat and Seattle Slew. In summing up Secretariat's stud career he states that he sired Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones and became the broodmare sire of Seattle Slew. Secretariat passed away in 1989. Smarty Jones won his Derby and Preakness in 2004. Anyone with just a basic knowledge of horseracing would know this. Secretariat never sired a Derby winner, but his son Risen Star did win the Preakness and Belmont in 1988. For the record, Smarty was sired by Elusive Quality.
   
   Seattle Slew's mother My Charmer was by a stallion named Poker. Letell calls Slew's mother Poke. He is obviously getting his names mixed up. Again, basic knowledge will tell you that Secretariat could NOT be Slew's grandfather because Slew was born in 1974, which was Secretariat's first season at stud. None of his offspring had even been born yet! Letell compounds the error by inferring that Secretariat must have passed on his large heart to Seattle Slew!
   
   Perhaps Letell was going by memory and didn't check his references. These errors stand out boldly in a book that was otherwise well researched.

No comments about PLAYING BLACKJACK AS A BUSINESS A Textbook on Blackjack.

4 comments about Championship Tournament Poker (Championship Series).

1. I was expecting something a bit more detailed and better than Slansky's Tournament poker book. Unfortunately I was let down. There's not much "advice" nor many concrete examples. Instead we're treated to a few anecdotes and a spare "key concept" here and there. I'd spend my money elsewhere.



2. I don't know who this book is supposed to be for. Certainly not someone who wants to learn any of the featured games. It's assumed you already know the games well. Certainly not anyone already playing much tournament poker. Perhaps the delusional player who is just starting to play in tournaments and wants to play in every available event at once. The book is just silly. There are a grand total of 20 pages on no-limit hold 'em for example, and most of those are repetative. In other words, Tom easily could have put 10 pages that say the same thing into the fine book he co-wrote with T.J. Cloutier. The "advice" mostly consists of Tom rephrasing the very problem you probably wanted answered. In the brief section on strategic concepts, for instance, Tom repeats in several different sections the need to stay calm and guard against making errors based on personal dislike of an opponent. He says things like take a deep breath after a bad beat (well, duh!). What he doesn't say, are things like how to adjust your play if you've got a very aggressive player to your immediate left (which is useful to know). He says things like "The champions know when to push a marginal hand and when to back away from it," but makes no attempt to try to quantify how or when they know this. So it isn't very helpful. The chapter on playing poker as a business is probably useful, except it's only useful if you're good in the first place and if you are you aren't reading this book, you're saving your $30 and playin poker with it. There are much better books out there and unless you are going to run right out and enter tournaments in every event, pick up a book that deals with the game in which you want to excel and stick to that. The stuff in here you can find in articles on-line, or figure out playing poker on-line.



3. More like a diary of some of Tom's successes (and he has had many) but only a few anecdotes. Buy one of TJ Cloutier's books (or Slansky's) for much much more insight.



4. I've read over 30 poker books in my lifetime and this is by far the worst I've come across. Tom types plenty of words but effectively says close to nothing when it comes to strategy -- you know, the whole reason anyone might make the mistake of purchasing this hunk of waste. What he does say is either obvious, redundant, or both. Tom reiterates to us the need to try to stay calm after a bad beat. Brilliant! You'd think there must be a great deal more depth to this in the actual book, but there's honestly not. He also advises us not to make a play based on personal feelings against a player. How insightful! And therein lies the problem. There's not a single piece of insight to be found in this book. Do yourself a favor and pick up any poker book but this one. It's pretty clear that TJ Cloutier was the brains behind their previous joined effort. This is just Tom trying to cash in on as little effort as possible. I tried to use it as toilet paper, but it didn't do a great job in that regard either. Worthless

No comments about Reference Guide to Casino Gambling: How to Win.

1 comments about 201 Handy Hints for Horse Persons.

1. I never would have thought about using some of the things that are mentioned in this book but they sure do help to save time and money.

3 comments about Value Betting at the Racetrack.

1. Like so many handicappers and horse racing bettors, I have heard of and thought I was knowledgable about value betting. But, Dr. David Johnson has really opened my eyes!!! His treatment of the subject, his exposing of the perils of angle betting, and his totally "breakthrough" development of The Valuline betting reports are detailed in his Value Betting At The Racetrack book. This one is a definite "should read" for anybody that wagers on horse racing!



2. I can sum up the entirety of this book in a few sentences: Everything you know about handicapping is wrong. Use THE VALUELINE and you can identify overlays and win big money. THE VALUELINE is smarter than you could ever hope to be.
   
   OK, I admit, maybe I am oversimplifying. He does talk about the difference between betting the chalk and betting overlays. He also advises against betting a single angle by itself. Maybe there were some other pearls of wisdom that I missed. The bottom line is if you have the $25 to buy this book you would probably be better served if you purchased a VALUELINE report and took whats left of your cash down to the track!



3. I FEEL THIS BOOK IS JUST A COME ON TO BUY OTHER SERVICES FRON THE AUTHOR. IT HAS NO REAL SUBSTANCE

No comments about Blackjack Made Simple!.

3 comments about Exterminator: Thoroughbred Legends.

1. It's not often that a really special horse comes along. This is a must read about a gelding that had it all and then some. A definite must read about an almost lost and forgotten legend, Old Bones.



2. A terrific book about a terrific horse. A story of a horse that was almost overlooked and went on to become a superstar. If I could own only two horses they would be Exterminator and John Henry. Great read that answered a question that I didn't know existed. Exterminator actually had 99 starts instead of 100 as popularly believed.



3. Exterminator: Thoroughbred Legends is unfortunately a bit dry (compared to, say, Kelso: The Horse of Gold, or Seabiscuit: An American Legend), so the power and excitement of this one-of-a-kind racehorse and his knuckle-biting racing style, not to mention his trials and tribulations, are not conveyed. However, if you just want to know more about Exterminator's brilliant career, this book will do, down to the NTRA racing charts for all his 99 (yes, 99) races.

4 comments about Full Time Gambler.

1. This is the best of the maybe 20 books on gambling that I've read. The author's ideas are well thought out, clear, and concise. His chapter on "Wagering Plans" is superb. His very conservative betting progression is much better than more commonly known progressions at surviving bad runs. I would highly recommend this book to anyone serious about increasing their chances of coming home from Las Vegas a winner.



2. L.G. Holloway's classic gambling manual has good historical value. It is an easy read, especially with his straight forward, common sense approache to many of the popular table games. However, like PhD Thorpe's tome, most of the information is more valuable, historically, than practically.
   
   However, for gamblers aspiring for a full time profession or profitable hobby, the practical wisdom contained in the book is invaluable.



3. I love this book, i actually have the original hard back. I have also read all of LGH's stuff.....other books,pamphlets,systems etc. His knowledge of wagering was incredible. With him, I started using speed/pace ratings before Beyer wrote his first book. His conservative wagering plan is almost unbeatable...takes a prolonged losing streak to actually lose a bank. Thank you LGH for these years of fun and steady profits.



4. after reading dozens of gambling books, this is the one that can help you win. It doesnt give you a "system", but gets you thinking about cycles and patterns, and discusses several different casino games. When I came upon this book, I had developed a method of betting that won a lot more than it lost, over tens of thousands of hands. I had inadvertantly discovered something the author is trying to lead the reader to, and this book made me realize what I was doing right. A must have for the person serious about beating the house.

1 comments about Bridge Conventions: A Guide to Understanding Techniques of Modern Bidding.

1. Covers 34 major conventions. Excellent explanations of how to respond to no-trump openings.